B-36 Peacemaker Group Build

Well hey! I guess it's congrats to la!  Good luck on your new job.  Now don't go running off until I get this monster put together.  Got the wheels all painted along w/landing gear.  After further dry fitting, the idea of painting the wings and fuselage apart is not such a good idea.  Since the wings seam flush with fuselage, it leaves NO room for error. So..... i'm going to tackle the canopy masking and affix it to the fuselage (after attempting to fix all seams ), then try and get the wings to fit properly to the fuselage..... and clean them up too.

Andrew Magoo

Hi Bondoman, you’re correct and I had to laugh at myself, the kiss philosophy works well. Thanks for straightening me out. Magoo

Unfortunately, when I pick back up on my B-36/B-58 build I will have to get creative as that FWD lower radome is elminated, and the open full bomber version of the bomb bay would expose anything attached to the backside of the radio room bulkhead

Hi Bondoman, you’re correct and I had to laugh at myself, the kiss philosophy works well. Thanks for straightening me out. Magoo

Got some more news....

As I stated in an earlier post I am starting a new job this Monday 4/9 which will actually allow me time to "build" again. In a strange quirk of fate, today I recieved another offer for another job in the public sector that would begin May 3 which pays twice the salary, and has full benefits. The only downside is that being a state job it only pays once a month meaning I wouldnt get my first check until June 1, and it does require me to relocate for about 2 months for training.

Just a heads up... I`ll be building what I can when the supplies I have already purchased very soon as start my "new job" on monday, but I am going to save most every extra dime I have to get through the month of May while I start my new-new job , thus my building will again slow down as I go through training for the State job in May/June.

The very good upside to this is on the backside after training is the job has a 4 days on, 4 days off work  ( plus the holidays ) cycle so it will probably be mid summer before I start cranking out work in any great detail.

Never in my life have I started a new job going into the first day knowing I will be quitting in 3 weeks.

Speaking of the weight issue. Here`s something so few are aware of.

As you know Convair tried to keep the program alive with the all jet B-60 which ultimately lost out to the B-52. The B-60 had such a bad weight ratio due to the deletion of all aft crew compartments which further increased the likelihood of a  " tail tip " In this photo below you can make out the counter weights that were installed on the craft while it was parked while not in use. On the front landing gear you can see the cylinder weights protruding out from the tires very vaughly

bondoman

2" long 1/2' machine bolt, with four or five nuts on it till they don't fit no more. Don't understand why people get fancy....

Now THAT I have in my spare nuts/bolts/screws etc. bucket, thanks.

2" long 1/2' machine bolt, with four or five nuts on it till they don't fit no more. Don't understand why people get fancy....

Hi Reasoned, my first B-36 was a learning experience. I forgot to add weight while the fuselage was accessible. So what I did was glue a one pound lead ingot in the wing spar, I had to cut off two corners. I don’t recommend this. I think I saw in the beginning of this group build post (maybe not) where some one made a mold and then cast a lead weight that fit in the space forward, to the sides of the front wheel well and below the nose deck. I’m pretty sure that is what I’m going to do this time. Magoo

Anyone know how much weight I have to stuff in this thing to keep it from tail sitting?

lajntx

Reasoned:

As I look at this, I really wish they would have had the figures a little more...... dynamic.

 

 

Nah. Just look at those flight engineers doing the Hokie Pokie!

You put your right arm in..... You take your right arm out....

Reasoned

As I look at this, I really wish they would have had the figures a little more...... dynamic.

Nah. Just look at those flight engineers doing the Hokie Pokie!

You put your right arm in..... You take your right arm out....

Andrew Magoo

Hi everybody, in an earlier post I thought I saw where someone said that the B-36 had hard points on the wings for attaching ordinance. Did I read that correctly and if so are there any pictures of such a load? Magoo

Uhmmmmm..... Nope. Would you attach ordinance to a wing that housed the fuel tanks and was prone to have fuel leaks?

Even with that, you have the issue of interference with the props to contend with as well.

You are probably thinking of a B-52 which did carry some ordinance that way

Hi everybody, in an earlier post I thought I saw where someone said that the B-36 had hard points on the wings for attaching ordinance. Did I read that correctly and if so are there any pictures of such a load? Magoo

Hi All, Don’t give up on me yet, my model room clean out has been a whole lot more intense than I was expecting. I have also been having problems posting comments to the site. I can start typing and then things just freeze up. I have even got tired waiting g and just shut the computer off and went and did something else. Good news is I found my RF-84F Thunderflash model after unloading the front half of three shelves to get to the back half.  Of course it was the last shelf I unloaded that was the key shelf with the RF-84F. So all I can say is I have made some progress but not in model building but I can get started. I did find my two pictures of the modified F-84F with the nose latch and fuselage pins that resided at the Wright/Patterson USAF Museum in Dayton, OH. Magoo

As I look at this, I really wish they would have had the figures a little more...... dynamic.

Ask and you shall receive.  As stated above, I've taken the unusual step of painting the figures (just seemed a shame to have them go to waste) and put them in the pit.  It's rough (and yeah, I took some liberties with the colors, even though I went for the Strategic Air movie look) but figured it would be tough to see through that monstorous greenhouse bubble.  I have some Alclad on order so hope to get after the NMF next week.  I think I'm going to paint this thing in sections (i.e., the wings unattached, fuselage w/o wings etc.) then put it together.

We`ve taken the shrink wrap off the boxes does that count?

I start a new job next monday that offers a great benefit my current job quit offering called: "a day off". It`s going to seem weird to only work 40 hours over 5 days as opposed to 70-75 over 6.5 to 7 days.  My model building should go from 0-60 very quickly soon there after. The only downside is the hours: 6am-3pm

Has anyone begun construction on their kit yet?  I just read the last two pages of the thread and didn`t see anyone`s work...just wonderin`....

Len

Now THAT'S a fly-over!  Got the cockpit done over the WE, decided to do a piloted version (figured I hadn't done one for a long time) forgot how difficult painting figures to look realistic was, especially in 1/72!  I'll post pics soon of my "progress".

It was the weekend your family had waited weeks for....

It finally came, and you loaded everyone, the picnic basket, and dog  into the the `47 Chevy............

The beach looked great, the water was blue,  and all was rather peacefully quiet

That is UNTIL you looked up and saw it coming straight at you...........................

Reasoned

Nope, not me but the more I model and learn about these subjects (any a/c), the more respect I have for the men/women who designed, made and flew them.  It also saddens me that many of these planes are either now endangered or extinct, given maned-flight has only been around about a century.

You`ll like this story written by Walley Soplata - The late Walter Soplata`s son about growing up collecting old airplanes.

http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/soplata.html?c=y&page=1

Nope, not me but the more I model and learn about these subjects (any a/c), the more respect I have for the men/women who designed, made and flew them.  It also saddens me that many of these planes are either now endangered or extinct, given maned-flight has only been around about a century.

Reasoned

I dig the Ju 88 in the foreground too!

Hi Reasoned, wasnt it you that posted the link to the Freeman Field Airshow over in the Aircraft Forum last fall?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1723870789084

You might have to copy and paste the link in your browser to get it to play

That Ju 88 is prominent in that film from Sept `45

The static display of it begins at the 6:39 mark

 It was also flown during the air show, you can see the approach & landing at the 8:09 mark

 The Freeman Field Recovery project ( excavating the scrapped planes there ) also had a color photo of it from that Sept `45  as well:

I dig the Ju 88 in the foreground too!

I almost forgot. Don Pyeatt ( The historian at Peacemaker Museum ) and co-author and illustrator of many of the B-36 books on the market scanned and sent back to me an old slide I aquired on ebay a few months ago of the YB-36 on outside display  at the old AF Museum in Dayton, OH. This is just a few years before it was cut up and sold to Walter Soplata for scrap. You can see how a lack of maintence and being kept outside has really run the plane down.

Here is how it originally look in April 1958 ( Was sent to the Museum in Oct `57 )

And an undated photo from around the same time frame in the late 1950`s

Hey Everyone,

I just got in a couple more new photos I purchased from an archive liquidating old press release photos. The first is from 1949 showing the XC-99 in flight trial tests in Ft Worth with a then new B36-B bomber flying behind it. The second is from 1953 showing the difference in sizes of the Nuclear Bombers the Air Force had it`s disposal ( B-47, B-36, and nuclear armed F-84G) note: The F-84H would be the swept back version with the upgraded F-84K being used a couple years later in the FICON project a few here have expressed interest in constructing

I`ll enjoy them for a couple of weeks and show them off to a few friends that have aviation history insterests. Then ( like all other B-36 historical pictures I aquire ) will be donated to the B-36 Peacemaker Museum in Ft Worth, Texas, and entered in the archives so others will have access to them should they need to research the Peacemaker or are looking for unique photos for illustration.

http://www.b-36peacemakermuseum.org/

If anyone is remotely near Ft Worth, or passing through, I recommend stopping in for a visit.  If you can plan the trip at the right time, enjoy one of the lectures held each month:

http://www.b-36peacemakermuseum.org/Lectures/tabid/799/Default.aspx

Also, the museum is currently doing a fund raiser with a flight for 2 in a B-26 Bomber as the prize. Raffle Tickets are $10 each and drawing will be held June 12.  You need not be present to win. Please contact the museum at the above link for info on how to purchase a ticket(s)

[quote user="Reasoned"]

Hate to keep picking away la..... BUT, in looking over the paint schemes for the plane I plan to build, So it's "shiney aluminum" on the pressurized compartments (includes tail section, minus stabilzers[other than strip on verticle stab]), a matte aluminum on the bomb bay & turret bay between cockpit-camera rm, most of wings (except walkways & top of part of fuselage which are "magnesium")? If I use the below reference "Metalic Steel" (would be "Matte Aluminum"), "Metallic Silver" (would be "Shiney Aluminum") & "Metallic Aluminum" (would be "Magnesium)???   Also, if I plan to use Alcad lacquers what would be the corresponding colors?  One last thing, the cushsions for the seats are labled "olive drab" in the directions, however in the link you provided of another builders plane he did them in red, but all the pics of cockpit show most everything zinc chromate.  As always thanks  [ quote ]

You are confusing yourself. lol

Simple rule: Aluminum = Shiney, Magnesium/the rest  = Dull

Think of it this way... pull a sheet of aluminum foil. The shiney side is what your pressurized compartments should resemble. The other side is somewhat dull... the rest need to be that color. As far as what partiicular Alcads should be used... I couldnt tell you as I have never used them.

For the cockpit remeber this -

Think of the cockpit before anything is installed, all you have is the floor and the fuselage pannels and frames for the seats.... Those need to be the zinc chromate/olive drab. Anything control pannel, wall cover, instrument box, or something that is not part of a  base wall or floor = black. Seat cushion color is really a choice of your own. Ive seen pictures of the real thing in green, black, brown, and red. I choose to use red because it is a set off color that adds to what little you can actually see inside the greenhouse canopies.

If you really are insistent on punishing yourself on getting all the different metallic shades correct. Then read about this build and do what he does:

http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/archive/revell-1-72-convair-b-36h-rb-36f-peacemaker-04632__o_t__t_5076.html

Hate to keep picking away la..... BUT, in looking over the paint schemes for the plane I plan to build, So it's "shiney aluminum" on the pressurized compartments (includes tail section, minus stabilzers[other than strip on verticle stab]), a matte aluminum on the bomb bay & turret bay between cockpit-camera rm, most of wings (except walkways & top of part of fuselage which are "magnesium")? If I use the below reference "Metalic Steel" (would be "Matte Aluminum"), "Metallic Silver" (would be "Shiney Aluminum") & "Metallic Aluminum" (would be "Magnesium)???   Also, if I plan to use Alcad lacquers what would be the corresponding colors?  One last thing, the cushsions for the seats are labled "olive drab" in the directions, however in the link you provided of another builders plane he did them in red, but all the pics of cockpit show most everything zinc chromate.  As always thanks

HI Magoo

If I remember correctly about 10 years ago or so someone out there was producing a resin set of turrets, but I have yet to date see anything pop up about that. The few builds I have seen with them ( I havent done it myself )  the builders typically hand carved them from scratch with a soft material and then used that to cast a resin mold to make theirs.

If you are insistent on doing this, then B-36 Peacemaker by Wayne Wachsmuth is a must. Dont try to find it in your book stores as it will be expensive. Ebay & Amazon for a used copy is best. Got mine off ebay for $15 + ship. New is going to run around $60. Just keep any eye on these two sites for a book that fits your price range.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=See-All-Categories&_from=R40&_kw=B-36+Peacemaker+In+Detail+Scale

http://www.amazon.com/B-36-Peacemaker-detail-scale-Vol/dp/B000KXJD9Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333029673&sr=8-1

Also, watch this newsreel from 1957 of the B-36 fleet being stripped down of resuable parts at Davis Monthan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx9HNAM1eKQ&feature=related

I would save the turret pics here to my PC, and have them printed at Walgreens ( or other place that will allow you to send them pictures to be printed from online )

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v20/jinxx1/B-36/#!cpZZ10QQtppZZ24

Also, contact Lucien. He is on here and the Arc forum. He is the B-36 model master

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This was discussed about a year ago on here

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Hi lajntx,

Have you got a lot of resource material on the B-36? I have two books and as you pointed out should get two more. The reason I ask is I don’t have any good pictures of the remote controlled turrets. I thought that if it isn’t to complicated I would build mu RB-36 with the turret doors open and turrets pivoted up and locked into firing position. By the way I about got my model room back to modeling. Magoo